Hello once again my Dragoart friends. Today I will be uploading two lessons based on people that we either hear on the radio, or know about from the news. To start the day I thought I would upload a tutorial that will show you how to draw the Baltimore Bullet or Olympic champion, Michael Phelps. If you are one to keep up with the Olympics or are an avid swimmer and dream about going pro one day, you should know who Michael Phelps is, or at least be familiar with his name. Phelps was born in Baltimore on June 30, 1985 to a state trooper, and a middle school principle. He has two older sisters Whitney and Hilary who where all sent to live with their mother when Phelps parents divorced in 1994. Before that though Michael began swimming at the ripe age of seven, but because he was young he didn't have his 'no fear' mentality right away. When he began swimming he was a bit scared to put his head under the water so for a while his swim instructors let him float around the pool until his confidence grew. Not too long after Michael had learned and mastered his first stroke and it was, what else, the backstroke. Young Michael loved swimming but it wasn't until he watched two athletes Tom Dolan and Tome Malchow compete at the summer games that he fell in love with the idea of beging a champion one day. Determined and full of drive, Michael Phelps began his training at the Loyola High School pool and that is where Bob Bowman began couching Phelps to victory. Just by watching Michael swim he saw how aggressive he was in the water. At that moment Bowman knew that he had a winner at his hands. In 1999 Michael Phelps was well on his way to becoming an Olympic champion and gold medalist. In 2000 fifteen year old Phelps had a spot and was actually the youngest swimmer in the 2000 Olympic Games. It had been sixty eight years since the last time a contender was the youngest of a competitive group, so that in itself was something to talk about. Even though Michael didn't win a metal, he still made a huge name for himself in the 2000 Olympic Games which was held in Sydney, Australia. In 2001, fifteen year old Phelps set a world record in the 200 meter butterfly as he also became the youngest male swimmer to have ever set a world record in the history or professional swimming. That same year Michael won his first international metal in Fukuoka, Japan. By the time he was seventeen years old, and graduated from High school, he had already set five world records. Now that alone is pretty amazing. How the heck does this young kid do so much in such a short period of time? That very same question was asked by so many people, but as soon as they watched him in the water, they automatically knew that this kid was put on this earth to swim, compete, and win gold. Michael Phelps has an insatiable appetite for winning. He is the only one that exists in his mind when he is competing on the pool floor with seven other guys. Others may look around and realize who their up against then swallow that small amount of doubt when they look at Phelps, but Michael on the other-hand just puts himself in the cross-hairs as he is determined to win, and nothing more. In 2004 Michael Phelps brought home eight Olympic Metals with six of them being gold in Athens , Greece. In 2008 he brought home eight gold in Beijung, and another five metals in London with three of them being gold. That is a total of 21 Olympic medals at the age of twenty seven years old. Wow, that is all I can say. He is such an influential person that will remain part of history for all time. It goes to show how determination, drive, passion, motivation, and love can make your dreams come true. A seven year old kid imagined himself being a champion, and he did just that! Have fun drawing Michael Phelps folks, and remember to always follow your dreams with love, passion and drive no matter what is is you truly want to do in life.

How to Draw Michael Phelps, The Olympics

STEP 1.

Begin your first step by making the shape for Phelps' head. Sketch in the facial guidelines like so before proceeding to the next step.

STEP 2.

The next thing you want to do is carefully sketch out the actual shape and structure of Michael's forehead and face. Notice that Phelps has a long shaped face. The cheek and chin should be properly angled for a nice structured look. Include the shape of the ear, then draw in the hair line.

STEP 3.

Remember, you are drawing Michael Phelps on a 3/4 view so his features will need to be sketch in on that angle. Start by drawing the eyebrows, then color them in solid. Draw the shape of the nose as well before moving to step four.

STEP 4.

Using the guidelines draw out the shapes of his eyes, and as you can see they are in a very expressive look. Finish off the nose by drawing the nostril flares as well as the inside of the nose or the actual nostril itself. Sketch the frown lines around the mouth which come down from the sides of the nose, then draw the outline of his mouth.

STEP 5.

Finish the eyes by drawing and coloring in the eyeballs, sketch in the crease lines under the eyes, then draw in the teeth, dimple, and chin arch. You will also need to add detailing inside of his ear as well and on the temple.

STEP 6.

Finally, we will finish Michael Phelps off by sketching out his hairstyle which is short and simple, then draw the shape of his neck, as well as his nicely toned shoulders. Add definition on the shoulders and neck, then you can start erasing the mistakes that you may have made along the way.

STEP 7.

Here is what Michael Phelps looks like when you are all done. Now you can either color him in, or leave your drawing as a nice sketch.

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